BJJers why did you choose BJJ?

I've never trained BJJ, but I've done Judo for years and trad.JuJitsu. Rolled with many BJJers in my time too, Gi and no Gi.

So my question is why? BJJ whilst undoubtedly a fine groundfighting system it's really just that, ground fighting. So as a stand-up clinch then take down MA it's only really concentrating on one phase of the fight.

Do you train BJJ for sport? or for self defence? I understand doing it for sport, many Judo players on train Judo for sport but I did it to complement my JuJitsu and never for a sport.

I was (still am) a huge MMA fan, and wanted to really learn what was going on. This is a major reason why my appreciation for MMA has gone up 10x, as when you do the stuff, you really understand what's going on.

I don't think BJJ ever professed to be the "complete solution" just that other arts can be lost when it comes to grappling.

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I am currently reading a book written by Kid Peligro (Jiu Jitsu techniques)
just to look at different teaching points.

In the forward he states the question that all martial arts have been trying to answer is "How can someone smaller and weaker defeat a larger/stronger opponent?" And that BJJ has proven to be at least one answer this question.

Of course martial arts has a lot of questions it tries to answer (Multiple opponents, guns, knives, meteors etc) but he doesn't go into that. Just the smaller person consistantly prevailing against a stronger opponent question.

I am actually starting BJJ under Brian Johnson in Seattle next week. I have done other martial arts and what brought me to BJJ is a) The hope I get in better shape and b) the science of it.

I've heard it referred to as kinetic chess and that just resonates with me. I watch bjj matches and that's exactly what it is. You go in with a plan, but are thinking of moves 3-4 ahead or capitalizing on mistake made by your opponent.

I was pefectly happy with Judo & JJJ. But...., my nephew was getting out of the service & was going to live with me while he went to college. He insisted (he's a big UFC fan & knows nothing about MA) that he would only go to classes with me if they were BJJ since it was the "best" (until Machida won then he insited that "Machida" karate was best).
I relented and signed up at a Relson Gracie school. Then 2 weeks before my Nephew got out he met a girl, got married & moved to Florida leaving me at my new school without him.
Worked out good for me though. The technical knowledge I'm gaining at the new school is superior to what I had been learning at the other school. And my knowledge of throws / take downs from Judo gives me the upper hand over my comparable BJJ compatriots.

I guess then that I was more or less forced into taking BJJ.

I still miss the Judo though & would love to pursue it if I could find someone to play with (but I'm pretty much hooked on BJJ for the duration).

Oh yeah, I'm not too worried about my stand up since I have several years of boxing & kickboxing experience.

Gettin armbarred and RNC'd by my friend (who is 5'1" 135lbs and I'm 6'6" 300lbs) all the time when we would wrestle. Looked up some shit online, fell in love, and 2 months later signed up at my local BJJ academy.

Also, I really train for fun. I love the art of BJJ and what it can do to protect a person, but I also love all the intricate moves/sweeps/passes/etc. that are preformed in a sport setting. BJJ just fascinates me. I've thought about competing, but I really just don't feel the need to, I love just training.

So my question is why? BJJ whilst undoubtedly a fine groundfighting system it's really just that, ground fighting. So as a stand-up clinch then take down MA it's only really concentrating on one phase of the fight.

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But, if you think about it, a stand-up martial art is also only concentrating on one phase of the fight as well. I guess that's why I cross-train.

Do you train BJJ for sport? or for self defence? I understand doing it for sport, many Judo players on train Judo for sport but I did it to complement my JuJitsu and never for a sport.

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I train BJJ for both and I train stand-up as well. However, I love BJJ the most and it's what I like to do. Having BJJ for self defense is good (since some/most self defense fights get taken to the ground) and the sport aspect is awesome! It's physical chess that can rip your arm off, how cool is that!?